Monday, November 15, 2010

Report on countering terrorism in East Africa and the Horn

The Congressional Research Service released a report titled "Countering Terrorism in East Africa: The U.S. Response" (PDF) on Nov. 3, 2010.

Authored by Lauren Ploch, it provides an overview of current U.S. counter-terrorism programs and influence operations in East Africa and the Horn and explores some of the strategies underpinning them. It also provides a brief description of the evolving terrorist threat in East Africa and the Horn.

The report explores U.S. measures to prevent, deter and preempt terrorism in the region, focusing on the response to threats posed by violent extremist groups such as al Qaeda and al-Shabaab. It provides counter-terrorism funding statistics for U.S. programs in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda and for the region. The report discusses Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa in Djibouti and U.S. support for the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia.